Katie Haun
Showing 1–6 of 6 transcripts.
- a16z23 min
NFT Uses for Today (and Tomorrow)
Devin Finzer, Katie Haun, Arianna
OpenSea, currently hosting over four million digital assets across more than 200 categories, functions as an interoperable marketplace that enables immediate trading for assets regardless of their originating project. This ecosystem supports a broad spectrum of tokenized goods, ranging from digital art and virtual real estate in worlds like Decentraland to physical items secured via blockchain, thereby facilitating direct creator-to-consumer revenue models and new job categories. While high Ethereum gas fees initially posed scalability challenges, the platform's integration of Layer 2 solutions like Polygon is increasingly lowering transaction costs to support complex gaming and metaverse applications.
- a16z30 min
Founding Stories: Anchorage
Chris Dixon, Diogo Monica, Nathan McCauley, Katie Haun
Founders Nathan and Diogo, previously instrumental in scaling security at Square and Docker, established Anchorage Digital to address the operational limitations of traditional cold storage for institutional crypto assets. The firm deploys a crash-resistant custody architecture that enables active on-chain participation, including staking and governance voting, while simultaneously serving as a founding node operator for the independent Libra Association in Geneva. This dual strategy aims to legitimize the broader cryptocurrency ecosystem by combining regulated fiduciary safeguards with a decentralized blockchain designed for global scalability and mass adoption.
- a16z33 min
a16z Podcast | The Regulatory Landscape for Crypto
Katie Haun, Robin Weisman, Sonal Chokshi
U.S. federal agencies including the SEC, CFTC, and DOJ clarify that while Bitcoin's underlying technology is legal, specific applications like exchanges and ICOs remain subject to existing financial regulations enforced through distinct civil and criminal pathways. Recent policy shifts demonstrate a move toward differentiating utility tokens from securities based on network decentralization while maintaining extraterritorial jurisdiction over firms serving U.S. customers. Consequently, regulators coordinate efforts to target fraud and illicit activity rather than innovation, advising enterprises to demonstrate good-faith compliance to mitigate enforcement risks.
- a16z27 min
Crypto, Beyond Silk Road
Former federal prosecutor Tanya Cushman details how blockchain forensics exposed high-profile corruption within law enforcement, specifically revealing how undercover agents stole from the Silk Road and Mt. Gox. By tracing immutable ledger transactions, investigators secured convictions against corrupt officers and linked digital assets to international criminal networks, including Russian election interference. Cushman concludes that while the technology currently faces infrastructure limitations, its transparency is becoming essential for global financial inclusion and holding powerful actors accountable.
- a16z39 min
Debating Crypto: Katie Haun vs. Paul Krugman
Katie Haun, Paul Krugman, Rodrigo Pacheco
This event analyzes the tension between government-issued cryptocurrencies like Venezuela's Petro and private digital assets, highlighting how varying global regulatory approaches from restrictive bans to blockchain-friendly frameworks shape the market. While adoption remains limited compared to traditional finance, specific use cases such as Mexico's unbanked youth utilizing mobile phones illustrate a leapfrogging effect, even as experts warn that the current surge in fraudulent ICOs and speculative valuations mirrors the dot-com bubble. Ultimately, the discussion forecasts a market consolidation around a few dominant players through technological shifts like Proof of Stake, alongside evolving security measures and balanced legal frameworks designed to distinguish legitimate innovation from scams.
- a16z36 min
3 Common Myths People Have About Crypto
Katie Haun, Roya Mahoob, Paul Krugman
Former federal prosecutor, now a cryptocurrency advocate, dismantles prevailing myths regarding digital currency by demonstrating how blockchain forensics effectively traces illicit activity while revealing that crypto serves vital functions like hyperinflation protection and financial inclusion for the unbanked. The speaker distinguishes between Bitcoin as a store of value and blockchain as a trustless infrastructure capable of replacing centralized intermediaries in global finance, drawing parallels between current technological limitations and the early internet era. This presentation, hosted by Nobel laureate Paul Krugman, concludes with an intellectual debate over the sector's future stability despite projections that ten percent of global GDP will eventually rest on blockchain applications.